Blarney Books & Art
@joblarney.bsky.social
Hi - I’m Jo. I opened this bookshop in the tiny tourist town Port Fairy (Australia) over 20 years ago (2004). We also facilitate the annual PF Literary Weekend. ‘Notes from a Smalltown Bookshop’ over on Substack.
The first book out the bookshop door today was Talking Sideways: Stories and Conversations from Finniss Springs by Reg Dodd and Malcolm McKinnon. #bookthreads
July 24, 2025 at 2:44 AM
The first book out the bookshop door today was Talking Sideways: Stories and Conversations from Finniss Springs by Reg Dodd and Malcolm McKinnon. #bookthreads
The first book to leave our little bookshop on this mild winter’s day is …
The Pearl Prize 2025: An Anthology of Queer Writing from Across Australia 🌈
The Pearl Prize 2025: An Anthology of Queer Writing from Across Australia 🌈
July 16, 2025 at 3:16 AM
The first book to leave our little bookshop on this mild winter’s day is …
The Pearl Prize 2025: An Anthology of Queer Writing from Across Australia 🌈
The Pearl Prize 2025: An Anthology of Queer Writing from Across Australia 🌈
The first book out the bookshop door on this sunny - yes, sunny - morning was a signed copy of …
A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler. #bookshop
A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler. #bookshop
July 15, 2025 at 4:47 AM
The first book out the bookshop door on this sunny - yes, sunny - morning was a signed copy of …
A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler. #bookshop
A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler. #bookshop
Sparkly and extra crispy morning by the sea today! We’ve got a busy U3A day in the bookshop today…
June 13, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Sparkly and extra crispy morning by the sea today! We’ve got a busy U3A day in the bookshop today…
What goes on in a bookshop in a coastal tourist town at the bottom of mainland Australia? I’ve had a bookseller’s diary going on substack for a little while now … and here’s the latest instalment.
open.substack.com/pub/joblarne...
open.substack.com/pub/joblarne...
Sunday Notes from the Bookshop
With one exceptionally bad decision ...
open.substack.com
May 26, 2025 at 10:47 AM
What goes on in a bookshop in a coastal tourist town at the bottom of mainland Australia? I’ve had a bookseller’s diary going on substack for a little while now … and here’s the latest instalment.
open.substack.com/pub/joblarne...
open.substack.com/pub/joblarne...
Icy May morning... 🥶
May 19, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Icy May morning... 🥶
Easter holidays are just about upon us - but today the bookshop is so quiet … we’re open all weekend! #portfairy
April 17, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Easter holidays are just about upon us - but today the bookshop is so quiet … we’re open all weekend! #portfairy
Doing the catwalk! The neighbour’s cat, Martini, enjoying a stretch in the sunshine.
April 12, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Doing the catwalk! The neighbour’s cat, Martini, enjoying a stretch in the sunshine.
High tide at dusk, with dog and footprints. Port Fairy.
April 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM
High tide at dusk, with dog and footprints. Port Fairy.
Attempting lift-off over at Substack with my Notes from a Smalltown Bookseller. Are we all too inundated? It’s not AI, if that helps …
March 29, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Attempting lift-off over at Substack with my Notes from a Smalltown Bookseller. Are we all too inundated? It’s not AI, if that helps …
Two kelpies in the windows of Blarney in support of indie campaigner for the Wannon electorate, Alex Dyson. Meanwhile, Dan and the libs are spending a fortune on trying to discredit Alex with not one but two separate pieces of junk mail today. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 24, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Two kelpies in the windows of Blarney in support of indie campaigner for the Wannon electorate, Alex Dyson. Meanwhile, Dan and the libs are spending a fortune on trying to discredit Alex with not one but two separate pieces of junk mail today. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Good morning! It’s Sunday, there’s been a little light rain this morning, low 20s expected. First visitor in holds up a copy of Stone Town by Marg Hickey and tells me it’s a good read. I agree with him. He sits and goes through the free jigsaw library, and then leaves. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 23, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Good morning! It’s Sunday, there’s been a little light rain this morning, low 20s expected. First visitor in holds up a copy of Stone Town by Marg Hickey and tells me it’s a good read. I agree with him. He sits and goes through the free jigsaw library, and then leaves. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Tracy Chapman's Fast Car starts playing on the Blarney playlist and my mind now, instead of going back to the 80s, goes to Susan Hampton's (now award-winning) memoir, Anything Can Happen. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Tracy Chapman's Fast Car starts playing on the Blarney playlist and my mind now, instead of going back to the 80s, goes to Susan Hampton's (now award-winning) memoir, Anything Can Happen. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Local ceramic artist Heather Davitt dropped in some of her gorgeous handmade bird-themed (and one blue tongue lizard) ocarina whistles for us to display and sell. #diaryofasmalltownbookandartseller
March 21, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Local ceramic artist Heather Davitt dropped in some of her gorgeous handmade bird-themed (and one blue tongue lizard) ocarina whistles for us to display and sell. #diaryofasmalltownbookandartseller
Visitors from "an hour south of London" picked up local author Ganga Powell's The Wallaby in the Garden as well as Giinagay Gaagal, Hello Ocean by Melissa Greenwood. They've just been to Hall's Gap in the Grampians and they're on to the Great Ocean Road next. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Visitors from "an hour south of London" picked up local author Ganga Powell's The Wallaby in the Garden as well as Giinagay Gaagal, Hello Ocean by Melissa Greenwood. They've just been to Hall's Gap in the Grampians and they're on to the Great Ocean Road next. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Reposted by Blarney Books & Art
May need to start including this as boilerplate in the star footnote.
Publisher: Do you want to put an LLM clause in the copyright statement?
Me: Definitely. How specific can we get?
Publisher: As specific as you like.
Me: Definitely. How specific can we get?
Publisher: As specific as you like.
March 21, 2025 at 1:10 AM
May need to start including this as boilerplate in the star footnote.
Happy caravanning visitors who are in town for a week picked up two preloved science fiction titles, and Tim Winton's Cloudstreet. And a lovely local picked up Clear by Carys Davies. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Happy caravanning visitors who are in town for a week picked up two preloved science fiction titles, and Tim Winton's Cloudstreet. And a lovely local picked up Clear by Carys Davies. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Lovely local popped in with a friend and picked up On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Lovely local popped in with a friend and picked up On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
A Melbourne Probus group came through - one of the group asked for our westerns (we're out and have been for years). Another picked up the children's book, Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 1:12 AM
A Melbourne Probus group came through - one of the group asked for our westerns (we're out and have been for years). Another picked up the children's book, Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
A lovely local who works in a support role for young ND people popped in with a young charge to spend some time out and about, in an effort to experience different environments. They hung out on the couches for a bit, and wandered through the books. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 1:01 AM
A lovely local who works in a support role for young ND people popped in with a young charge to spend some time out and about, in an effort to experience different environments. They hung out on the couches for a bit, and wandered through the books. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Visitors from Cohuna picked up Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. They likened our bookstore to Stonemans bookshop in Castlemaine, and I'll take that as a compliment. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Visitors from Cohuna picked up Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. They likened our bookstore to Stonemans bookshop in Castlemaine, and I'll take that as a compliment. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Visitors from nearby Portland who have previously bought their grandchild Shivaun Plozza's Summer of Shipwrecks, today picked up Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Visitors from nearby Portland who have previously bought their grandchild Shivaun Plozza's Summer of Shipwrecks, today picked up Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
People who yesterday bought Matt Ottley's Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness returned to see if we had anything else by him. They were blown away with the illlustrations. I sent them to Customs House Gallery, who have exhibited Ottley's artworks. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 12:44 AM
People who yesterday bought Matt Ottley's Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness returned to see if we had anything else by him. They were blown away with the illlustrations. I sent them to Customs House Gallery, who have exhibited Ottley's artworks. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Good morning! It’s a greyish day with a top of around 20, and a tiny drip of rain. First person in is local and here for Why Weren’t We Told by Henry Reynolds. This book is a touchstone for the First Australians U3A discussion group. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
March 21, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Good morning! It’s a greyish day with a top of around 20, and a tiny drip of rain. First person in is local and here for Why Weren’t We Told by Henry Reynolds. This book is a touchstone for the First Australians U3A discussion group. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Congratulations, Fiona McFarlane! This is one of my favourites! 🥂🌟
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2025
🏆Prize for Fiction: Highway 13, Fiona McFarlane
Congratulations to Fiona McFarlane, on being awarded the VPLA Prize for Fiction for your work ‘Highway 13’. #wheelercentre #vplas
🏆Prize for Fiction: Highway 13, Fiona McFarlane
Congratulations to Fiona McFarlane, on being awarded the VPLA Prize for Fiction for your work ‘Highway 13’. #wheelercentre #vplas
March 19, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Congratulations, Fiona McFarlane! This is one of my favourites! 🥂🌟